"I expect they'll be meeting next week to decide what next steps to take," Olsen said.

One option likely to be on the table is extending Olsen's contract to give the board more time. Olsen, who retired from Sturgis Public Schools in 2011, has a contract with Portage through June 30.

"I anticipate finishing (as interim) on June 30," Olsen said. "But I'm not going to leave the district in a lurch. ... I feel a sense of loyalty to Portage."

Olsen said the board is "working very hard to move forward" with their superintendent search.

"They're taking this very seriously," he said.

Among the factors working against the board, however, is that the prime season for hiring a new superintendent is winding down and there is a dearth of experienced, high-quality superintendent candidates in Michigan.

In fact, while 23 people applied for the job of Portage superintendent, the board's sole finalist -- Brighton Superintendent Greg Gray -- was not part of that pool. He was recruited after the board went through the 23 applications in late March.

The board decided April 15 that Gray was the only candidate they wanted to bring forward for public interviews, and Gray spent 13 hours in Portage on Thursday, winning high praise from those who met him during that visit.

However, Brighton residents were so aghast that Gray might leave that they waged a vocal campaign to keep him in their community. Monday, Gray announced at a Brighton school board meeting that he was withdrawing his name for the Portage job -- an announcement that drew a standing ovation.

After the meeting, Gray called Olsen, Portage school board President Bo Snyder and Jim Morse, Portage's search consultant.

Olsen said that, in his conversation with Gray, it seemed that "his family didn't want to make the leap" of moving from Brighton.

"I think his wife was comfortable with it at first," but than changed her mind, Olsen said.

Gray told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette that family considerations, including his children's reluctance to move, played a factor, as well as the outpouring of support he received in Brighton.

Olsen said it's unfortunate that Portage lost what appears to be a top-notch candidate.

However, he said, "it happens all the time" that job candidates change their mind midway through the process.